


Fixed His Heart and Broke It Again

by minteafresha



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23812366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minteafresha/pseuds/minteafresha
Summary: Middle school aged Branch temporarily joins the Snack Pack for the chance to dance. This is my backstory to why Branch is so mad at Poppy in the first Trolls movie. It is also a revision of a human au story written in February 2017.
Relationships: Branch/Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Fixed His Heart and Broke It Again

Troll Village had grown very much during the ten years after the Trolls’ flight from Bergentown. It looked just like their old home, except with even more trees to live in. 

King Peppy had just finished telling a story to his daughter Poppy and her friends about the healing powers which the mother tree held. He had a scrapbook open to its last page, which had a felt cutout of a giant tree.

A little orange troll with a baby wooferbug cradled in her lap asked, “So do our trees have healing powers too?” 

King Peppy closed the scrapbook. “No, I’m afraid not, Suki, we’ve tried. We just keep getting splinters.”

“Awww, I think you should keep trying!” Cooper said. “Like you always say, don’t give up and stuff, right?”

Peppy frowned. “Ah no… Not in this case. Unless…”

Poppy, whose unruly pink hair was matted from unresolved bedhead, suddenly jumped up. “Thanks for the story, Dad! Let’s go play!”

Poppy’s friends cheered as they tumbled out the entrance of the pod.

Down on the forest floor, they began to play soccer. Every time someone scored, they sang a little song like, “Hey, Guy Diamond, you’re the troll, that makes it 5 to 2 goals.” They called it quits when Smidge, Fuzzbert, Satin, and Chenille got 10 against 9 goals.

Meanwhile, another young troll, who was very gray in comparison and around the children’s age, was pushing a boulder in a wheelbarrow nearby. The kids were sitting in the clearing, playing that Down By the Banks of Hanky Panky game. The troll passing by laid down the wheelbarrow to watch. He stood in the shade of a broad-leafed plant.

Princess Poppy took notice of the other girl.

“Hey! Branch! What’s up!”

Branch jumped and hid behind his boulder. Branch peeked around the edge and noticed Poppy standing up and waving goodbye to her friends. And walking toward him. Branch grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow and struggled to raise it in a hurry.

Poppy popped up around the boulder. “Branch!”

“Ack!” Branch screamed and he pushed the wheelbarrow forward, knocking Poppy over. Branch screamed again and said, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Poppy got up and dusted herself off. She looked up at the boulder. “Cool. Is this like, for your clubhouse?”

“It’s for my bunker,” Branch said. “I need something to fortify the walls.”

Poppy nodded in misunderstanding. “Ohhhh yeah. For late night karaoke when you don’t want to wake Ribbon.” (Ribbon was Branch’s foster parent.)

“No.” Branch picked up the wheelbarrow and walked, and Poppy walked with him.

Poppy asked, “Can I help?”

Branch pushed the wheelbarrow at a snail’s pace. “Hm. Okay.” Poppy took one handle of the wheelbarrow. Branch walked on and peeked at the front.

Poppy said, “So I was thinking, have you ever practiced a dance before?”

“No,” Branch said. “Never tried, never will.”

“What?? Not even like an easy dance?”

“Huh?” Branch was half listening, half watching the path.

“Yeah I made an easy dance that looks pretty impressive still! I know it’s hard to get away with that kind of stuff. There’s the junior talent show coming up and I was thinking! Maybe you would wanna join in and perform with me and Cooper and Smidge?”

“I’m not so sure.”

“So you might but…?”

Branch smiled. “Yeah, I might.”

“Just let me show you.” Poppy let go of the wheelbarrow, making Branch put it down too. Poppy backed away. “Here, here, okay,” she said as she planted her feet properly.

Poppy started demonstrating the dance and singing. “ _Girl, to be with you is my favorite thing!_ ” She pointed at Branch and winked. Branch tapped his hand on the boulder to the song. Poppy sang, “ _I can’t wait ‘til I see you again_.”

Branch mouthed the words, “ _I wanna put on, my my my my my boogie shoes_ ” along with Poppy.

Poppy grinned and stopped, and said, “Uh, that’s as far as I remembered, but there are more parts to it that other people are supposed to dance and it’s so much fun!” She went back to the wheelbarrow. “So what do you think now?”

Branch scratched his nose. “It does seem fun.”

“Then just join!” Poppy chirped.

“I don’t know…”

Poppy said, “Look, Branch, I mean...” Branch looked at her.

Poppy said softly, “You won’t be alone, you have me and my brother and our friend, you can count on them!” She reached her hand out to take Branch’s, but Branch just looked at it. “I know it sounds scary, but I think you should try to work toward getting over your fear.” Poppy let her hand fall. “And, personally, I would rather practice a dance that everyone will enjoy no matter what, than have to face something that would be hard to do later. So this will be a good place to start for you, I think.”

Branch looked away again, hand still on the boulder. His brow pinched. “Ahhhhh… well…” Branch’s eyes wandered down to the ground, and he finally decided. He looked up. “Why the heck not, huh? Try something new?”

Poppy gasped and smiled. “Really?!”

Branch nodded. Poppy squealed and took both of Branch’s hands and said, “I’m so happy!! Thank you thank you thank you!! You will not regret this, Branch, it’s gonna be so much fun, and we can have matching outfits and-“

She was interrupted by a voice nearby. “Does it really take that long to push a wheelbarrow?”

Poppy whisked her head around. Cooper had walked toward them, and Smidge tagged along. Poppy said, “Branch said he wants to join our dance group!”

“Really?!” Cooper dove his head underneath Poppy and Poppy landed on Cooper’s back. Cooper said, “Welcome to the Snack Pack, Branch.”

Smidge went to the wheelbarrow and pushed it by herself all the way to Branch’s in-progress bunker.

A week later, Branch found himself at the fourth dance practice so far. They went to the area in front of Poppy and Cooper’s pod to practice.

Poppy motioned for Branch to pay attention to her footwork. “Cross backwards like this, three four, and the arms point the opposite way your legs go.”

Branch copied her and stumbled a little on the last step. “Wh-whoops.”

“That’s good that’s good! You’re doing good, the arms are good.” Poppy held her hands near Branch’s arms, as if she were steadying them. “But work on the feet, so you can switch easily.”

“That’s a lot,” Branch said, exhaling heavily. “You said it was easy!”

Poppy threw her hands in the air. “But you’re a natural! You look just like a pro!”

“That’s because I’m trying so hard to look good,” Branch said.

Cooper, who was practicing with Smidge, danced his way over to them. “Take it easy, Branch, go with the flow!”

Smidge said, “You can do it!” She picked up Cooper from underneath and he ended up on her head. Cooper giggled. Smidge chuckled gruffly along with him, with more wheezing that usual because of the pressure on her head. This made Branch and Poppy laugh too.

Branch said, “Thanks guys. Maybe we can take a break?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Poppy said, stretching her back. She went to get her water bottle that was on the ground, and crouched while she was drinking. Branch stared at her for a moment before remembering where he was.

After another couple weeks of practice, it was time for the monthly junior talent show.

The four performing trolls sat in the shadows behind the lit-up mushroom stage, and waited for their cue. In the plaza below, many fellow young trolls were gathered, along with their families. Basically everyone. The four trolls all wore matching disco pants that Satin and Chenille made specially for them.

Poppy whispered to Branch, “How are you feeling?”

Branch’s voice quivered. “I don’t feel good,” he managed to croak.

“We made it this far, and you’ve done so well in practice, you move so beautifully,” Poppy reassured.

At the last remark, Branch blushed. He was glad that no one could see his face in the dim light. And no one would question it later since he would have been dancing.

Poppy continued. “We’re all here, we’re all right here.” Smidge and Cooper leaned over to look at Branch, and his heart beat faster from seeing how much these three people cared about him. It actually added more to his nervousness rather than make him feel more comfortable.

Cooper wiggled in his seat. “I’m nervous too.” He was smiling though, a weird nervous smile.

Branch bared his teeth and thought, _At least he’s smiling, why can’t I be like that?_

Just then, King Peppy announced, “Next up is a treat you don’t want to miss.” He waved for Poppy’s group to move into the light. “Let’s give it up for my children Poppy and Cooper, and their friends…” Peppy checked his palm. “Sigil and Bland!”

The four of them giggled (yes even Branch) at the mistake and ran onto the stage.

Poppy stood at the edge and shouted, “Good evening Troll Village!”

The trolls clapped and cheered and then they settled down.

Poppy looked sideways to her friend Suki, who was offstage with her wooferbug. Poppy counted down and then Suki started the music.

The trumpets blared. Branch watched Poppy, as he was supposed to mirror her, and Cooper and Smidge had their own mirrored dance. When they swiveled their heads, Poppy’s hair whipped around.

Branch saw how happy Poppy was to be dancing for everyone. Usually, Branch was in the crowd to see this happen, but being right there next to Poppy, in the middle of it all, was so much different. And Branch wanted to be here all the time.

But before Branch knew it, it got to the part where they switched to a different pattern of moves. “ _I wanna do it ‘til the sun comes up_ ,” K.C. sang in the recording. But Branch did not know how to do it.

Branch started hyperventilating and kept glancing at Poppy to try to copy her.

Poppy’s joyful countenance dropped to one of horror. She quickly grabbed Branch’s hand, partly because that was part of the dance and partly to keep Branch more grounded.

Branch looked at the audience, and their dark shapes looked more menacing than before. It got hot, his clothes felt itchy and tight. Branch froze and forgot the dance moves completely.

He shuddered and hiccuped, “Popp-py, I don’t- I can’t- I… ah .…uh..” In an effort to keep the dance going, Branch shifted his weight back and forth, but he still kept slowing down. Tears started welling up in his eyes.

Poppy breathed a worried “Oh no oh no” and clasped Branch’s other hand. She swung their arms side to side to the music. “Come on Branch, here, just dance with me…” Poppy tried to give a smile.

Cooper and Smidge toned down their dance as they watched them. The audience clapped rhythmically in encouragement. The song was almost over.

“No n-no,” Branch said through rapid gasping and sobbing. “N-n-no!”

Poppy urged, “Branch, it’s okay!”

“No..!” Branch forced the word up. He screamed, “NO!”

Little tears were curling down to his chin. Poppy stopped swinging their arms.

Branch tore his hands from Poppy’s and turned and ran offstage, past all of the trolls in the ground, and deeper into the forest.

The music stopped. Cooper did a flip and the splits like he was supposed to.

Smidge moved next to Poppy and looked up at her. “Poppy…”

Poppy stood there, lost, like a part of her was ripped out. Then she clenched her fists and sprinted out to chase after Branch. When Poppy made it out of the plaza, Branch was not in sight. But Poppy knew where he was.

Branch was sitting in a secluded spot on the outskirts of town: his bunker. He had a deep network of tunnels made from many years of digging and had just begun to move in. Of course his foster mom wouldn’t let him fully live in the bunker since he was only fourteen. There was not much furniture, and not even a door, so it was just a fancy hole in the ground. A sort of muddy one. He didn’t care that his pants were getting ruined, they weren’t even his, Poppy wanted them made in the first place- Poppy Poppy Poppy, you’re so AWFUL! Branch kicked the wall.

He heard soft footsteps overhead and made himself still. “Don’t come close,” he whispered only for himself.

Poppy walked along the ridge of the tree root on the surface. The sound of her footsteps stopped. Poppy’s face appeared in the opening far above Branch’s head.

Poppy used her hair to lower herself to a ledge that was closer to Branch, and she found that he was squeezed in the smallest space in the bunker, more like a pantry niche than a room. His face was flushed, but not from dancing like he wanted, and his eyes were shriveled up. Branch shifted uncomfortably. “Le-eave me-e alone-nh!” he said, voice still wobbling.

“I’m sorry,” Poppy said. “Please, come out of there.”

“Oh yeah you’re s-sorry??” Branch said, turning away.

“Yes, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you like that, this is all my fault, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to anymore. I learned that now. I just… I just wanted to share this with you.” Poppy wrung her hands. “I wanted to help you out, like, to make you more okay with things.”

“Well, it DIDN’T HELP, now go away!” Branch said.

Poppy sighed and sat with her back against the wall. “I’m not leaving you. Never.”

Branch only sputtered and grunted from the tightness in his throat.

It was quiet for a long time, until Branch shifted around again to get out. His legs were getting sore. He turned his face to the sky to aim his hair for the surface, but Poppy was in the way. “Move,” he said aggressively, swiping the air. Poppy moved aside, and Branch shot his hair up to the entrance. He started going up. 

“Branch, talk to me,” Poppy said.

Branch hung there in front of Poppy. “And what, what do you want me to say? Say it’s all okay, say I forgive you? I did this for you, all for you, and now I realized, if I didn’t do it for myself too, then it’s no good.” Branch grimaced and then coldly looked right into Poppy’s eyes. “I don’t want anything from you anymore, okay. And it’s NOT okay, I’m not okay, I’m never okay.”

He reached the surface. Poppy could hear him storm away, muttering, “I need a drink of water.”

Poppy waited for Branch to gain distance, and then went up herself to return to the talent show.

Branch thought he was in love, he thought Poppy was the answer, but now he wasn’t so sure. At first, it seemed like the princess of all people would be able to help him become happy again. If that didn’t work, then nothing would. The hard part was.. she was Branch’s only friend. It ate at him that he couldn’t see Poppy the same way again.


End file.
